COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - With a stunning performance on Maryland’s home floor, Purdue provided the rest of the Big Ten reason to believe the Terrapins’ reign as three-time defending champions could be in jeopardy.
Dominique Oden made two straight 3-pointers late in the game, and the Boilermakers pulled off a 75-65 upset Thursday night to end Maryland’s seven-game winning streak.
Although the Terrapins remain atop the Big Ten, they now hold a tenuous one-game lead over Ohio State and Nebraska with three to play.
No. 10 Maryland (22-4, 11-2) had not lost since Jan. 11.
“We’ve been saying this all year, how strong the league is,” Terps coach Brenda Frese said. “Give all the credit to Purdue; they were sensational tonight.”
Perhaps, but the Boilermakers had dropped seven straight to the Terps and were coming off a home loss to Indiana in which they scored only 44 points.
“Obviously, I was disappointed in our play,” Frese said. “It was an uncharacteristic night for us. You have to come ready to play for 40 minutes.”
Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Maryland is 69-5 in conference play, including 9-0 in the tournament. Despite of the loss, Frese remains hopeful.
“The thing is, what do you take out of it? We want to be prepared for March,” Frese said. “We can give better effort in how we play.”
Oden gave Purdue a 65-62 lead with a shot from beyond the arc with 2:47 left. After Maryland pulled even, Oden connected again from long range with 2:04 remaining to put the Boilermakers ahead for good.
“We’ve shown some resilience through the whole year, being able to play on the road,” Purdue coach Sharon Versyp said.
Andreona Keys scored 17 points for the Boilermakers (17-10, 8-5) and Karissa McLaughlin had 15. Purdue had five players reach double figures, including Oden with 12 - 10 in the fourth quarter.
Maryland came in ranked second in the country with 43.4 rebounds per game, but in this one each team finished with 35.
“We controlled the rebounding, which was really important,” Versyp said.
Kaila Charles led Maryland with 14 points. Kristen Confroy scored all 13 of her points in the first half, and Elenna Christinaki had 13 on 5-for-23 shooting.
“Shots weren’t really falling for us, across the board,” Confroy said. “Some uncharacteristic misses.”
Seeking to end a two-game skid, Purdue used a 14-2 run late in the third quarter to turn a 10-point deficit into a 49-47 lead.
Purdue outscored Maryland 26-15 in the fourth quarter, making eight of 13 field goal tries compared to 6-for-19 shooting by the Terps.
BIG PICTURE
Purdue: The Boilermakers’ performance against the nation’s 10th-ranked team shows they have the potential to make some noise in the Big Ten Tournament - again. A year ago, Purdue reached the championship game as a fifth seed.
Maryland: Perhaps this will serve as a wake-up call for the Terrapins, whose incredible numbers in Big Ten play don’t mean anything if they don’t play strong defense, block out on the boards and get to the free throw line. Maryland took only 10 foul shots compared to 16 for the Boilermakers.
UP NEXT
Purdue: The Boilermakers face No. 16 Ohio State on the road Sunday.
Maryland: Sunday’s game at Minnesota is part of stretch during which the Terrapins play five of six on the road.
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